Dawson feels 'chills' on personal tour of Hall

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. &#8212; Andre Dawson gripped one of the bats Babe Ruth used 80 years ago. He admired the quality of the wood and the lightness of the Bambino's prolific offensive weapon.

"I could have swung this," Dawson proclaimed with a wide smile.

Dawson soaked in the joy of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum with the wonderment of a child Tuesday, enjoying a low-key private tour with his wife, Vanessa, in advance of his July 25 induction.

"They really do look like the players," Dawson observed, before gazing at the empty space where his plaque will be situated in two months. "Is mine going to be with or without a mustache?"

Dawson also had the opportunity to view prized artifacts of Ty Cobb and peruse the special exhibits of Hank Aaron, Lou Gehrig, Willie Mays, Cy Young and many others. Dawson saw the bat he used to swat his 400th home run, as well as his 1977 NL Rookie of the Year award and the 1987 NL MVP award.

"When I walk through this gallery, I feel like I'm on sacred ground," he said. "You're talking about the greatest players ever to play the game, some of which I had the opportunity to see play, to play against, and others I read the history of.

"I can't begin to say enough about how exhilarating the feeling is just to walk into the Hall of Fame."

After waiting so long to be selected, Dawson said it finally is beginning to soak in that he is a Hall of Famer.

"It's touching. I don't think I really felt the true impact of what it is to be a Hall of Famer until I stepped in here today," he said. "I know what I am up against because I have talked to a lot of Hall of Famers &#8230; how it is life-changing. But to actually feel the effects of it after I step in here today &#8230; when I stepped in this gallery, I really got chills."

With the exception of "a few tweaks," Dawson said his acceptance speech is prepared.

"My message will be that you control your legacy and you don't really take the game for granted," he said. "My motto in my speech will be that if you love the game, the game will love you back.

"I just really hope I can get through it (emotionally). &#8230; I know it is going to be tough for me because of the way I plan to deliver it."

When he was inducted five years ago, Sandberg made a point of lobbying for his former Cubs teammate during his speech, saying Dawson played the game "the right way."

"Obviously it was a huge endorsement, coming from one of my peers, one of my teammates &#8230; an individual I hold high esteem and respect for as a teammate," Dawson said Tuesday.

So which of Dawson's former teammates belong in the Hall?

"I think Lee Smith eventually will get in," he said. "And Tim Raines &#8230; he'll get in. To me, Timmy was Rickey Henderson in the National League. They are two players I played with who come to mind. They both were dominant during their era. They were outstanding."

Dawson, who also played for the Expos, Red Sox and Marlins, thanked Cubs fans.

"Playing in Chicago &#8230; the fans just gave me a new vision on my career, embracing me from day one," he said. "( Wrigley Field) overwhelmed me to the extent that I couldn't wait to get to the ballpark every day. I owe a great deal to the fans. The fans are what fueled me. Not numbers, not statistics. But the fans because, to me, they were that extra energy."